''Luciobarbus magniatlantis'', the Tensift riffle barbel, is a species in the family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

. It is native to the Tensift River catchment of the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

of Morocco. However, it has been extirpated from the Rheraya River in the middle of its range, which has led to two isolated sub-populations. Its natural habitat is freshwater riffles. It is considered an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The taxonomy and

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...

of the Maghreb barbs are subject to considerable dispute. Some authors consider ''L. magniatlantis'' a distinct species, while others include it in '' L. nasus'', which is now extinct. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

alludes to its High Atlas habitat.

References

Luciobarbus Cyprinid fish of Africa Endemic fauna of Morocco Freshwater fish of North Africa Taxa named by Jacques Pellegrin Fish described in 1919 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cyprininae-stub